In one portion of the mountainous region that encompassed the entirety of the central region of the Northern Continent, there was a large canyon that used to be surrounded by a snow-covered desert.
The snow itself was many feet deep, considering the weather patterns of the central continent, but the ground had also been compacted and contained a firmness to it after being tempered by such an atmosphere.
However, the beautiful white tundra was no more. In its place was a barren wasteland.
A 3000-kilometer area surrounding the canyon was free of snow, with only the small rivers of water formed by its melting left in its place. The water flowed towards the canyon and pooled within, causing a small waterfall to form.
As for the ground itself, it was in even worse condition. After the many feet of snow had melted and most of the water formed from it had evaporated, the ground was cracked and sundered until even its firmness could no longer save it.
There were hundreds of craters littering its surface, looking like a meteor shower had just impacted it. Not to mention the portions of rock that were melted into magma or covered in a thick red liquid reminiscent of blood.
In the center of the apocalyptic scene was a sight that looked like it should have been immortalized in a painting.
A large man with black hair and fierce blue eyes stood with his foot on another equally large man's chest.
His clothes were ripped and torn, with the beast skin cloak that used to cover his body being a mere cape on his back. Trails of blood ran down his face and dried blood caked his bulging muscles.
As for the man below him, he could barely be called a man anymore. His face was caved in with his skull evidently being broken, his arms were a mixture of red blood and black slush, and his chest had a gaping hole in it that was filled by the other man's foot.
Any signs of life within him had long been extinguished.
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This was the sight Damien and those cultivators saw when they exited the canyon. Due to the bloody fog, they had failed to notice the waterfall that had formed, but the obvious rumbling was enough to cue them in on the situation.
When Shen Li felt the multiple gazes that had locked onto his position, he looked up at the cultivators, the fire in his eyes slightly dimming. Without a single word, Shen Li jumped onto the back of his flying beast and made his way back to Dalia City.
And the cultivators soon followed.
They didn't need to be told what had happened and no instructions on how to proceed were needed.
The trip back was much more silent than the previous one. Not only had they just fought a perilous battle, but many of them had also lost people in its duration.
In the back of the crowd, Damien and Long Chen were also silent. Although they were fine, they could read the room well enough to keep their mouths shut.
However, Damien's thoughts were still as active as ever. 'The Nox invasion in this world is either going much more smoothly than anyone assumed or they are just pretending to be blind.'
To be honest, he hoped it was the former option. The latter suggested treachery in the highest levels of society, which would not bode well for him.
He was already thoroughly invested in the situation with the Nox since it didn't seem like they were intent on leaving the universe alone. He would be roped in at some point, he just felt like being proactive was better.
This way, at least he chose to enter this war.
'Either way, I need to let Master know about what happened here. With his strength and status, he'll probably know what to do.'
It might have been odd for Damien to trust his master without knowing him much, but it was how things ended up.
His master had helped him plenty even in the short time they had known each other, and even while knowing Damien was an otherworlder, he didn't make any trouble.
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It wasn't a level of trust that would allow him to reveal all his secrets, but it was enough for this. Especially since his master was a true resident of this world.
At the end of the day, Damien had no real connection to the Cloud Plane. He might have sympathy for its destruction or the tragedies that might take place, but only the amount a normal outsider would have.
It'd be more accurate to call it the shock of watching a society collapse from the inside.
It had only been a few months since he had come here, and he didn't have anyone like Rose to care for. It was only natural that he wouldn't feel the same as he would if Apeiron met the same fate.
While Damien was considering all of this, the group arrived back at Dalia city. Shen Li dismounted his beast before turning to face the crowd of cultivators before him.
"Although there were some unforeseen circumstances, we still managed to succeed in our task. I found this on that man I fought earlier, so there's no doubt about it."
A triangular token appeared in front of him, it was blood red in color and contained a strange 7-pointed star insignia.
"This is the Sect Master token of the Beguiled Devil Sect, so it's obvious who the leader of that force was. As for why they committed a massacre of their own people, that isn't our concern.
"I will mark this mission as a success and report to all the powers from whom we sought help. By the time you reach your respective sects, it will be done. So, you don't have to worry about the rewards.
"Until then, I have many things to take care of. Thank you all once again for your help in this endeavor, and may you have a safe trip back to your homes."
Leaving these words, Shen Li entered his city. Slowly but surely, the crowd of cultivators dispersed in every direction, following Shen Li's words.
Likewise, Damien and Long Chen headed back to the Celestial Star Palace. It was a truly eventful trip for them, filled with riveting battles and many level increases, but at the same time, it alluded to a scourge existing within the shadows.
"Damien, what are your plans once we get back to the sect?" Long Chen inquired.
"Hmm?"
"B-boss."
"Ah! So you were talking to me! Hmm, I don't really have anything planned. I'll probably go see my master first and tell him about our trip before I decided anything."
Long Chen nodded, having a similar idea, but didn't say anything else.
Truthfully, he had a lot of fun on this mission. He wasn't the type to outwardly show his emotions, but having someone who could keep up with him and also beat him in competition brought him genuine excitement,
Due to this, he wanted to continue going on missions with Damien. He felt it was the best way for him to challenge himself.
But thinking about how he would have to call the shameless idiot "boss" made him reconsider.
With the duo having their own thoughts, they calmly made their way back to the sect.
And it wasn't just them. With the beast tide over, the girls were also on their way back to the Supreme Fairy Paradise. What they didn't know, however, was that Dia's call to the Sect Master led to an unexpected surprise waiting for them.